A man who told a shop assistant that he had a knife before escaping with the store’s takings has been jailed for almost three years. Liam Worton, 31, of Chatsworth Drive in Hucknall, stole cans of lager from Peppers Stores, in Watnall Road, Hucknall, around 5.00 pm on 7 January 2023. He returned an hour later with a hood over his face and told the shop worker he had a knife. She was forced to open the till and Worton made off with more than £860 in cash.
©Google Street View.
Nottinghamshire Police say Worton was caught on CCTV leaving the store with the lager after making no attempt to pay. When he returned, with a hood over his face, the shop worker, who was in the store room, walked back into the shop when she heard the shop door open. Worton walked towards her and told her to open the till, saying he had a knife.
“Fearing for her safety, the member of staff opened the till and the man, later identified to be Worton, grabbed the cash and fled the scene”, Nottinghamshire Police said. Response officers called to the scene quickly identified Worton as a suspect and he was arrested just over one hour later at an address in Hucknall.
“The victim must have been extremely frightened when she was confronted by a robber with his face covered and claiming to have a knife”, DC Christine Hewlett said. “She was simply doing her job and no one deserves to be threatened with violence while at work.
“Thankfully we were able to quickly identify a suspect and arrest Worton. He denied the offence in interview but detectives were able to build a strong case against him during our investigation.
“Anyone carrying out a robbery like this with threats to hard-working members of the public can expect a robust response from the force and I am pleased the judge has seen fit to put him behind bars.”
Worton pleaded guilty to robbery and shop theft and on Monday (24 June) was sent to jail for two years and 11 months by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court.
